The City Council wants to limit the number of tobacco stores in South Beloit and ban the sale of otherwise legal drug paraphernalia. South Beloit has been somewhat of a hotbed for tobacco stores thanks to the comparatively high cigarette taxes just north of city limits in Wisconsin. The small border town has six tobacco discount stores, which almost exclusively sell smokes and smoking accessories. That doesn’t include gas stations or convenience stores that have tobacco licenses.

Some of the tobacco discount retailers sell glass pipes, bongs and rolling papers used for marijuana and other drugs. Some are selling types of incense that can be easily misused to get high.

While the sale of such items is perfectly legal, city officials want them out of South Beloit.

On July 18, the City Council was prepared to pass a nonbinding ordinance that expressed the city’s opposition to the sale of property commonly used for drugs. The ordinance was put on hold after City Attorney Roxanne Sosnowski said the council may be able to put an outright ban on drug paraphernalia.

“It appears the council would be able to pass an ordinance prohibiting the sale of some of these items,” Sosnowski said. “This would allow our police department to go in and speak with the owners of the retail tobacco shops and have some of these items removed from shelves.”

Sosnowski said she wasn’t sure whether it would be legal to limit the number of tobacco retailers in the city.

“It’s a gray area,” she said. “If it were challenged, we may lose.”

Mayor Mike Duffy said that he’d still like to try to limit the number of those stores in the city.

“It doesn’t sound real hopeful, but we’re going to do what we can,” he said. “We don’t need any more popping up, and I understand they’re businesses and we need tax money, but some businesses are harmful.”

Annual sales tax revenue for South Beloit has dropped each of the past four years. In 2010, the city generated nearly $500,000 less than it did in 2007. So far in 2011, sales tax revenue has been worse than it was in 2010.

Commissioner John LaMendola doesn’t believe limiting tobacco stores will affect local tax revenue.

“It’s not a question of bringing more business in the city, it’s just dividing up the business that’s already here,” he said. “You got so many customers, period. If a guy comes in and opens up another store he’s not bringing more people here — it’s the same people that are buying their cigarettes.”

Sales of tobacco have fetched $345.2 million (R2.4 billion) in Zimbabwe so far this year, with a seasonal average of $2.78 a kilogram. The country’s tobacco statistics are extraordinary with tens of thousands of new growers, most working land seized from white farmers in the past 11 years. New small-scale and larger black growers now make up the vast majority of tobacco producers. Together with the few white farmers who remain on their land and some new younger white growers renting land from Zanu-PF land invaders, they are now pushing production towards two-thirds of the annual output before the land grab began.

In 2004 there were about 4 000 mostly small-scale black tobacco growers and a handful of large-scale black tobacco producers.

In the 2010/11 season, industry insiders say there are about 47 000 registered growers. Among these are a few hundred black growers, also on land seized from white farmers, who are considered large-scale growers planting between 20ha and 50ha and producing world class leaf.

Banks will not lend to most new farmers because they do not have title deeds as security for the loans.

International tobacco merchants advance money to growers and oversee production, often using evicted white growers as trainers.

“We were very good tobacco farmers and it is in our interests for these new farmers to do well,” says one former tobacco farmer who lost his land in central Zimbabwe in 2003. “Our company lends many of these new farmers money. We watch and help supervise that crop from the beginning to the end because if we don’t, and the farmer fails, then we will be out of jobs.

“The rules are changing. We used to insist we only assisted growers on undisputed land. But now the waters are muddied. All of us are asking fewer and fewer questions about who has the title deeds and we are just getting on with ensuring our growers do well.

“We know we will never get our farms back and we are just hoping for compensation… but I want to stay in Zimbabwe, it’s my home, and I am proud of some of the growers.”

He asks that neither he nor his company be identified.

Peter Garaziwa, 55, was a potato farmer in eastern Zimbabwe’s mountains until 2004 when he was given white-owned land in a prime tobacco area, Nyazura, south of his traditional home. This year, he says, he will have produced 32 bales of Virginia tobacco produced on a farm known as Gazala.

He does not know what happened to the white farmer, and nor does he care, but says he uses barns built by the former owner to cure his tobacco. “They are good barns, but we all have to share as there isn’t enough space.”

He is one of several hundred new farmers resident and producing on Gazala. “This is my second year selling as I was studying how to grow it for a year before I started.”

Most leaf grown by the new small-scale tobacco farmers is lower grade tobacco, and 50 percent of the crop is bought by the Chinese Tobacco Company.

Before 2000 Zimbabwe regularly produced more than 220 million kilograms of tobacco a year, most of it grown by white farmers. After land seizures the crop size fell each year until by 2009 Zimbabwe was producing less than a third of what it had regularly produced for 40 years.

Industry insiders said this year Zimbabwe would produce about 135 million kilograms, much of it by new farmers resettled on former white-owned farms.

Farayi Kawadende is the information officer at Boka Tobacco, Zimbabwe’s largest tobacco auction, which has about 4 000 growers on its books. For the first weeks of the selling season it was selling about 6 000 bales a day. “Good grades of tobacco were going at $4 a kilogram but the lower quality is selling for about $0.80, which means hard times for those growers.”

Boka Tobacco chief executive Rudo Boka recently reopened the company’s auction floors, after a decade of difficulties and controversy following the death of her father, a staunch Zanu-PF supporter.

“Many of those selling here are new small-scale farmers and so they have not done this before. First they have to register as growers with the Tobacco Marketing Board.

“Then they have to have file crop estimates and they need to book their tobacco for sale,” she says.

“It is tough at the beginning for them. And it has been hard for us too, but we are now able to pay the farmers on the same day their tobacco is sold.”

Boka says there are social consequences paying out thousands of dollars to peasant farmers coming to Harare to sell their crop. “Many of them have only occasionally been to the city before. So a lot of the wives come too, and not to shop. They come to be sure the money gets home.”

Not all of the new farmers are happy with the prices they received this year. A group of small-scale farmers, resettled since 2000 in Zimbabwe’s top tobacco producing area, Karoi, 200km north of Harare, say they cannot afford to grow tobacco again because of poor prices.

“We didn’t earn enough to plant again,” says one. “We are broke and we can’t borrow money, we are finished,” says another, who prefers not to give his name.

This group of farmers aged between 28 and 45 were “100 percent” behind President Robert Mugabe’s land reform. “Without that we would never have got land, and we don’t have much and only grow about 1ha of tobacco, and that is very, very hard work.”

They are all sitting watching soccer on a large flat screen at the Boka floors. Many of them slept their too, for a few nights before the sale of their bales. These small-scale growers produce their crop with family labour. Traditional larger-scale producers say it will cost them about $9 000 to $11 000 per hectare of tobacco.

“This crop will change and eventually I expect Zimbabwe will be like Brazil and Malawi where tobacco is a small-scale crop,” says a buyer from an international company.

Last season, 120 million kilograms were sold at the close of the auction floors. Some suspect that figure was boosted by South African growers who sneaked bales into the Zimbabwe sales to catch the high opening prices of more than $4 a kilogram. Zimbabwe will probably earn more than $350 million when the floors close in the next month or two. – Peta Thornycroft of the Independent Foreign Service.

Many smokers resent the increased efforts to discourage tobacco use — from graphic warnings to smoking bans to proposals for higher taxes. But if they are honest with themselves, most probably wish they had never picked up the habit. Smoking is expensive and a health threat for smokers and those around them. With all we know today, who would want to start down that road?

Unfortunately, the answer is that nationally more than 10 percent of teens aged 12-17 smoke regularly, according to the Center for Disease Control, and more experiment with tobacco. The numbers are even a little higher for West Virginia, Ohio and Kentucky.

Those new smokers are part of the reason that overall smoking rates have hit a stubborn plateau in recent years. In the mid-1960s, about 42 percent of the population smoked, but warning labels, advertising restrictions and a steady drum beat of anti-smoking education had pushed that down to about 20 percent by 2004.

But there it has remained for the past few years, and the rate in our region is closer to 25 percent. That is one of the reasons that the Food and Drug Administration is planning its most aggressive warning program since labels first appeared on cigarette packages in 1984. After September 2012, the top half of cigarette boxes and 20 percent of cigarette advertising must carry graphic photos that show the negative impact of smoking.

The move is controversial and some say overkill, but the hope is that the stronger message will cut consumption among the nation’s 43 million smokers and discourage teens from trying cigarettes.

Meanwhile, there is work to be done with retailers on reducing the sale of cigarettes to teen-agers. There has been improvement there over the last decade, but minors still are able to buy cigarettes at stores about 10 percent of the time, according to a recent study.

The numbers are even higher in West Virginia and Ohio, with sales happening about 12 percent and 13 percent of the time. But Kentucky has made real progress in this area, with the study showing minors were successful in buying cigarettes only about 3 percent of the time.

In addition to other features, the Kentucky program includes the attorney general’s office working directly with convenience stores chains and gas stations on best practices and training clerks. That’s important because convenience stores sell about 85 percent of the cigarettes in the country.

States are more conscious than ever of the high cost of smoking-related illnesses, and tightening up tobacco sales to minors is a good investment in improving the overall health of the population.

Jefferson County Public Health performed 45 tobacco retailer compliance checks this year, in accordance with state law. Only one retailer in Jefferson County was cited for selling tobacco to a minor. “We have been working with retailers and are happy to see that the rate of tobacco sales to kids is dropping,” said Karen Obermeyer of Jefferson County Public Health. “However, any sale of tobacco to someone under 18 is not only illegal, it’s unacceptable in our community.” Both the clerk and the business receive fines when they fail a compliance check.

Clerks who sell tobacco to minors are not doing teens any favors, Obermeyer said. They are aiding what often turns into a lifelong, expensive addiction that can result in illness and premature death.

Fostering a healthy community requires efforts such as compliance checks to ensure that clerks check for ID. “We want to create a healthy environment for our kids. So when we draw a line between our kids and things like tobacco and alcohol, we will have healthier children and a healthier community,” said Anne Dean, Jefferson County Community Network program manager.

Rates of tobacco use by Jefferson County youths are declining, according to the 2010 Healthy Youth Survey. Eighty-six percent of 10th-graders report that they do not smoke cigarettes; this is an improvement from 2004, when only 77 percent of 10th-graders reported they were tobacco free. Current Jefferson County youth tobacco-use rates are statistically similar to Washington state.

There is an increasing trend in the use of chewing tobacco products by Washington youths, from 4.6 percent to 6.2 percent of 10th-graders; 9.5 percent of 10th-grade boys use “chew,” and the rate of use among girls more than doubled to 3.2 percent.

The Healthy Youth Survey is taken anonymously by more than 212,000 students in 235 districts and 1,049 schools statewide. It tracks health behaviors and attitudes among sixth-, eighth-, 10th- and 12th-graders.

Tobacco sales to minors is a chronic problem that is next to impossible to completely eliminate, but it can be reduced. An announcement last week that attorneys general in 40 states, including state Attorney General Rob McKenna, and the District of Columbia have forged an agreement with a major convenience store chain to curb sales of tobacco to minors is a step in the right direction.

The assurance of voluntary compliance with Circle K Stores Inc., and its sister company Mac’s Convenience Stores LLC, covers about 4,000 tobacco-selling convenience stores across the country, including 59 stores in this state.
While it is illegal in this state to sell tobacco products to anyone under 18 years of age, youth who want to smoke can usually find a retail outlet willing to ignore the law. Oftentimes, it is a convenience store.
This state has had an aggressive anti-smoking campaign in place for more than 10 years. In that time, youth smoking has declined by about 50 percent, according to the state Department of Health’s Tobacco Prevention and Control Program.
Despite notable success in the war on tobacco, an estimated 70,000 kids in this state are hooked on nicotine and another 50 start smoking every day. Studies show that it only takes a few cigarettes for the first signs of addiction to start to surface.
And the younger someone starts smoking, the more likely he or she will be unable to quit and the more likely they will suffer from a tobacco-related disease, health officials emphasize in their anti-tobacco campaigns.
Tobacco remains the number one cause of preventable disease and death in the state, killing about 7,600 people every year. Most of the people that fall victim to the curse of tobacco started smoking before they turned 18.
These are all key reasons why convenience stores must step up to the challenge: Stop selling tobacco products to underage customers.
Previous multi-state agreements like the one signed with Circle K have covered gas station convenience stores selling fuel under the Conoco, Phillips 66 or 76, Exxon, Mobile, BP Amoco, Shell, Valero, ARCO and Chevron brand names. Retail and pharmacy chains Kroger, 7-Eleven, Walgreens, Rite Aid, CVS and Walmart have also signed voluntary compliance agreements.
Here’s some of the details of the newest agreement:
• Anyone who appears to be under 30 years of age will undergo an identification check to protect against mistakes by clerks trying to evaluate someone’s age by appearance alone.
• In-store advertising of tobacco must be limited to reduce its effect on youth. Outdoor advertising of tobacco products at stores cannot occur within 500 feet of playgrounds or schools.
• Employee training will be increased to emphasize the serious health consequences of tobacco use by youth. About 3,000 of the Circle K stores are company-owned while the other 1,000 are franchises.
In addition, Circle K will conduct compliance checks at 500 of its stores every six months, using mystery shoppers, who may or may not be underage. In Washington, state Department of Health uses underage buyers in their compliance inspections.
Circle K also agreed to pay the attorneys general $225,000 to be used for consumer education programs to prevent tobacco use by minors.
Restricting access to tobacco products by minors will always be a daunting task. The best tool in the anti-smoking arsenal is no-nonsense facts and figures about the lethal effects of using tobacco products.
But don’t underestimate the importance of reducing the ease by which teens can buy tobacco products over the counter of a retail store.

The Niagara County Health Department has imposed fines on four convenience stores in Youngstown and Niagara Falls for allowing the sale of cigarettes to minors. Fastop, 8811 Niagara Falls Boulevard, and Wilson Farms, 9101 Niagara Falls Blvd., both were cited in Niagara Falls, after compliance checks performed by the department between Oct. 1 and March 31, according to James Devald, director of environmental health. Citation in both cases was a first violation.

In Youngstown, Main Street Gas & Grille, 311 Main St., got its third violation, and Market Place, 200 Lockport St., got its second violation, since county compliance checks began in 1999, Devald said.

Each cited business was assessed a fine between $650 and $1,100; and was ordered to conduct employee training on the legal sale of tobacco products.

In conjunction with the sheriff’s department, the health department conducted 117 compliance checks in the past six months, according to Devald. Checks are led by 15- and 16-year olds who, while supervised by an adult, try to buy tobacco products without identification.

An undercover crackdown has highlighted that shops and pubs across Cornwall are still selling tobacco to children. In an undercover operation to crack down on the problem of underage sales of 33 premises visited, 60 per cent sold tobacco to young volunteers.

The operation saw 15 and 16 year old children visite shops and pubs across mid and west Cornwall under the supervision of Trading Standards officers, and attempted to test-purchase cigarettes and tobacco to test compliance with the laws.

Thirteen of the 25 shops visited sold tobacco to the children without challenging the item. The children also purchased tobacco from vending machines in seven of the eight pubs visited without being challenged.

Stuart Benson, Cornwall Council’s public health and protection area manager said: “We were shocked and disappointed at the level of sales which indicate how readily children can access cigarettes despite longstanding and well-known legal controls.

“Our message to retailers and licensees is clear – always ask anyone who appears to be under 25 years old for proof of age. “During this operation just 40 per cent of premises visited consistently challenged our volunteers to produce evidence of their age.”

Lance Kennedy, cabinet member for community safety and neighbourhoods, added “Retailers have a legal responsibility to the community to ensure that young people cannot gain access to products which can cause them harm.”

“The age limit for purchasing tobacco was raised to 18 back in October 2007. I have instructed Trading Standards officers to maximise the use of volunteers and will support immediate action against persistent offenders.”

The problems do not just relate to tobacco, as the results come just weeks after two local retailers pleaded guilty to selling alcohol to minors, costing them over £1,000 in fines and costs.

On Thursday, March 3 at Camborne Magistrates’ Court Gurmeet Singh Deol, a partner in the family business operating Carharrack Stores, Redruth was fined £300 and ordered to pay £265 costs. Robert William Hendry, proprietor of Four Lanes Post Office Stores, Redruth was fined £260 with costs of £265.

The council says that follow up action will be taken against the premises that sold the tobacco, and Trading Standards Officers will continue to use test-purchasing exercises to crack down on illegal underage sales.

Police departments routinely conduct compliance checks on local businesses that are licensed to sell tobacco products. During a tobacco compliance check, volunteers under the age of 18 are sent into businesses to attempt to purchase tobacco products. The employee must check the volunteer’s identification in order to be in compliance with state law.

Sometimes establishments fail these checks and are faced with consequences from local law enforcement.
Genoa Police arrested and charged employees of two Genoa businesses with the sale of tobacco products to minors during a tobacco compliance check on Feb. 28.
DeKalb Police Chief Bill Feithen said tobacco compliance checks are conducted randomly, so local businesses do not get complacent.
“They send people four to five times a year,” said Abraham Mustafa, owner of Smoker’s World, 818 W. Lincoln Highway #3.
Under Illinois state law, any individual caught selling tobacco products to minors is subject to a $200 fine for the first offense, a $400 fine for the second offense within 12 months and $600 for any subsequent offense within 12 months.
According to a 2005 study conducted by the Center for Disease Control, 80 percent of smokers began before the age of 18 and about 3,900 teens start smoking every day.
“Kids are going to find cigarettes one way or another,” said senior communications major Brian Belford. “They’ll just have someone over 18 buy them.”
Establishments like Smoker’s World try to card everyone, but realize that sometimes people slip through the cracks.
“There are underage kids coming here all the time [to buy cigarettes],” Mustafa said. “Sometimes we are busy and can forget [to ask customers for proof of age].”
In DeKalb, juveniles caught in possession of cigarettes are subject to a $25 to $100 fine, though they are often given community service instead, Feithen said. Businesses who are found to be in compliance during a tobacco check are given a small pin commemorating them for “carding hard”.
Road Ranger, 125 N. Annie Glidden Road, and Lucky’s Tobacco, 110 E. Hillcrest Drive, declined to comment.

The Tobacco Sales Floor has established offices in different parts of Zimbabwe for pre-sale bookings of the crop that will be sold. This follows an increase in incidences of farmers delivering a crop that has not been booked for sale. Despite this decentralisation, some farmers have continued bringing their crop to the auction floor without advance bookings.

TSF managing director, Mr James Mutambanesango, said his company had opened booking offices in Rusape, Marondera, Bindura, Mvurwi, Karoi and Chinhoyi.

“We have also increased booking areas at TSF to three to ensure farmers do not experience challenges selling their crop.”

Mr Mutambanesango said they could not turn away farmers who brought their crop without booking.

Booked farmers who fail to sell their tobacco on the delivery day are offered shelter, food and water.

However, some farmers say they are not aware of booking offices in their areas while others say they cannot book over the phone because of the poor mobile network.
Pressure is mounting at TSF as tobacco deliveries increase daily.

The Boka Auction Floors are still to open and this means all farmers who want to sell have to go to TSF.

Mr Mutambanesango said TSF was now conducting four sales a day and his staff are working round the clock.

“We are conducting four sales per day with a minimum of 2 000 bales per sale.

“We hope to increase the number of bales laid to 3 000 for every sale.

“The good thing is that farmers are getting their money on the day of sale,” he said.